


You Should Have Lied

by a1_kitkat



Series: Tightrope Album Trilogy [1]
Category: Westlife
Genre: Heartbreak, Implied/Referenced Cheating, M/M, Marcky, Mark Loves Nicky, Nicky Loves Mark, Shane Loves Nicky, Slash, Songfic, Tightrope - Album
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-26
Updated: 2015-01-26
Packaged: 2018-03-09 04:05:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3235625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a1_kitkat/pseuds/a1_kitkat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After cheating on Nicky, Mark feels guilty and decides to confess his mistake to his love</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Should Have Lied

It doesn't matter  
That you had the courage to tell me  
The easy way out  
Was to free up your guilt, laid it on me

What do I care?  
If it didn't really mean a thing why'd you do it?  
I'm standing here  
Looking at someone who doesn't  
Know they blew it, yeah

 

Mark shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He glanced across the aisle of the plane at his two band mates before turning his attention back to his newspaper. He heard Shane clear his throat, as though to speak, but he remained silent. The younger boy wasn’t in the mood for another argument with his band mate. Nicky’s laughter drifted across the aisle and tore at his heart. He blinked back a tear and ducked behind the newspaper.

“Tonight” Mark said to Shane. “I’m going to tell him tonight”  
“You said that yesterday” Shane replied. “And the day before that… And the day before that”  
“I mean it this time”  
“Yeah right”  
“Fuck you, Shane”  
“Me?” Shane forcefully grabbed the newspaper from Mark. The two singers glared at each other. “You’re the one who fucked up”  
“I thought I could trust you to keep your mouth shut”  
The younger boy tried to get the newspaper back but Shane held tight.  
“What you did was wrong, Mark” Shane insisted. “He deserves to know the truth!”

“Get over yourself Shane” Mark whispered.  
“What?” Shane gasped.  
“He loves me, Shane. He’ll understand and he won’t go crawling to you”  
“You hurt him… I didn’t”  
“If he loves me even half as much as I love him, he’ll forgive me. It was a mistake… It meant nothing”  
“If it didn’t mean anything, why did you do it?”

Mark glared at Shane before unbuckling his seatbelt. He stood up and marched off. Shane watched him go then cast his eyes across the aisle. Both Kian and Nicky were looking at him. Kian appeared confused, Nicky looked worried. Shane shrugged to them then turned his attention to the newspaper Mark had left behind.

 

You should have lied  
Cause' your stupid mistake  
Made my world crash down  
Now its goodbye  
No you can't take it back  
Once the truth has come out of your mouth  
So you tried to be honest  
But honesty blew it this time  
You should have lied

 

The flight ended and the four lads disembarked the plane. Mark kept his distance from Shane and was glad when they finally reached their hotel. They were in town for a few weeks to work on their next album so they checked into the hotel, dropped off their luggage and headed straight for the studio. Mark avoided Shane for the majority of the afternoon but he found the looks Shane kept giving him to be rather annoying.  
While Shane was listening to some directions from one of the producers, Nicky approached Mark and sat down beside him.

“Everything okay?” Nicky asked, smiling at the younger boy.  
Mark nodded but didn’t speak. The blonde leaned forward and brought their lips together. It took a moment for Mark to respond. They held each other as their tongues danced in each other’s mouths, Nicky manoeuvred his way into Mark’s lap and wrapped his arms around his neck. He felt Mark’s arms around his waist and he relaxed against Mark’s embrace.  
“Later, Nicky” Mark said after he broke their kiss.  
“Are you sure everything is okay?” Nicky asked before kissing his way along Mark’s jaw.  
“Yes. I’m fine, Nicky”

Mark gently coaxed Nicky from his lap. He stood up and walked away from the blonde. Nicky watched him leave but didn’t try to follow him. He remained seated on the couch and didn’t notice when some one sat down beside him.

“Is it wrong that I’m bored already?” Kian asked. Nicky shrugged but managed a smile.  
“What’s up with you?” Kian continued.  
“It’s nothing” Nicky’s face broke into a wide grin.  
“What?”  
“Well… Mark’s been acting really secretive lately and I think I know why”  
“He has?”  
“Maybe you haven’t noticed it but I have”  
“Okay”  
“Anyway… You remember we had that week off last month?” Kian nodded. “We didn’t see each other for the whole week and we missed each other like crazy”  
“Okay”  
“And he’s been acting all secretive ever since”  
“So?”  
“Oh Ki” Nicky exclaimed. “I think he’s going to ask me to move in with him!”  
“Wow! Congratulations”  
“Thanks… I’m trying to practice my ‘surprise face’ so I can pretend to be surprised when he asks me”  
“Good luck with that”  
Kian smiled at Nicky’s enthusiasm before he stood up and walked back into the studio.

 

If a tree falls inside of a forest and nobody hears it  
It wont affect anybody 'cause no one will miss it

What would I care  
If you were dying from the guilt of keeping a secret?  
This isn't fair  
'cause now I've gotta be the one dealing with it, oh

 

Later that night, Mark and Nicky went out for dinner. The older boy was relieved that Mark was acting more like himself again and he waited patiently for Mark broach the subject of their living arrangements. They enjoyed a quiet meal before returning to the hotel. The couple passed Kian and Shane in the hotel bar and Nicky wanted to join them. But Mark took hold of Nicky’s arm and ushered him past the door.  
Once inside the lift, Nicky reached out for his hand and was surprised by the amount of tension in the younger boy’s body. He smiled at Mark and the brunette smiled back.

“Why didn’t we hit the bar with Shane and Kian?” Nicky asked.

The doors opened and Mark exited the lift. Nicky followed close behind. The younger boy located the key for their room, unlocked the door and ushered Nicky inside. The blonde removed his jacket, tossed it over the back of a chair and sat down on the bed. Mark closed and locked the door then turned around to face Nicky. The blonde was smiling at him with so much love in his eyes that Mark had to look away.

“Nicky, we need to talk” Mark began.  
“Okay” Nicky replied. “What do you want to talk about?”

Nicky looked up at Mark and held his hand out to the brunette. Mark moved closer and sat down on the bed beside him. He took a deep breath, turned to face Nicky and reached out for his hand. The older boy continued to look at Mark. His heart beat in his chest but he remained calm. 

“Nicky” Mark began. “I really missed you during the break”  
“I missed you too” Nicky replied.  
‘This is it’ he thought. ‘This is why he’s been acting odd. He’s going to ask me to move in with him!’

“Well, one night I went out with Shane and Kian to celebrate a friends’ birthday”  
Nicky nodded, listening intently to what Mark was saying.  
“We all went back to his house for a party and I… Well, we all got more than a little drunk”  
“So you had a good time, there’s nothing wrong with that”  
“There was this lad who went to school with us and he… He and I started talking and thinking of old times… We were tipsy and he… He kissed me”

Nicky felt the air rush from his lungs and his heart skipped a beat. He found the fact that Mark refused to look at him to be very disconcerting. He reached out and placed his hand on Mark’s knee but the younger boy moved away.

“He kissed you?” Nicky slowly began. “Well, if you were drunk… And it was only a kiss… I mean it’s not like you kissed him back or anything. Right?”  
“Oh Nicky”

 

You should have lied  
Cause' your stupid mistake  
Made my world crash down  
Now its goodbye  
No you can't take it back  
Once the truth has come out of your mouth  
So you tried to be honest  
But honesty blew it this time  
You should have lied

 

Mark slowly looked up and Nicky could see the tears in his eyes.  
“Mark?” Nicky asked. His heart missed another beat.  
“It… It was more than a kiss” Mark confessed.

Nicky’s heart rate returned as it began to pound in his chest, tears formed in his eyes but he refused to let them fall.  
“Did you sleep with him?” Nicky asked Mark. He closed his eyes, afraid of his lover’s response. ‘Say no, please say no’  
“Yes; I did”  
“No” Nicky shook his head.  
“Nicky, please” Mark urged. “I love you. I didn’t do it to hurt you. It was a mistake. It meant nothing, I swear”

The blonde stood up and crossed the room. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Mark so he kept his back to the brunette. Nicky paced back and forth, trying to think of something to say. The younger boy watched his lover for several minutes, fighting the urge to say something. He wanted to explain himself or have Nicky yell at him.  
‘It’ll be okay’ Mark insisted to himself. ‘Nicky loves you and he’ll forgive you. He just needs some time to comprehend all this’

“Nicky?” Mark whispered. “Nicky… Baby?”

The older boy held up his hand to silence Mark but he still didn’t speak to or even look at him. Nicky stopped in front of the window and stared out onto the street below. It was still early evening but a series of clouds had filled the sky. He willed the rain to fall; he wanted the weather to match his mood.

“Nicky, I’m sorry” Mark insisted. “Really… I… I’ve been trying to tell you ever since it happened. But it… It took me a while to build up the courage”  
“Why?” Nicky asked.  
“I was afraid of how you’d react”  
“So why tell me?”  
“What?”  
“If you were afraid… And it really meant nothing… Then why tell me at all?”  
“Be… Because you need to know what I did wrong”  
“I…”  
“So you… You can forgive me. Nicky I feel terrible. It was a mistake and I’m sorry. I love you”

“I’m sorry too” Nicky stated, his back still turned to the brunette. “I… I can’t even look at you right now”  
“Nicky?” Mark pleaded. “Please? I… I need you to forgive me”  
“No! I… I need some time to think about this”

Nicky turned around, crossed the room and picked up his jacket. As he pulled the jacket on, Mark caught sight of the blonde’s face. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. The brunette longed to hug him, hold him and comfort him but he knew he needed to give Nicky some space.

 

I don't get it  
Where was your conscience when  
You were with her  
Couldn't you hear it scream out?

 

The older boy threw the door open and marched into the hall. The door slammed shut behind him. He marched down the hall and into the stairwell. He took the stairs two at a time until he reached the lobby. For a moment, he wasn’t sure where to go next. The hotel bar was too tempting so he headed straight for the counter and ordered a drink.

Shane and Kian were still in the bar when Nicky entered. They both saw him and were surprised that he didn’t come over to them. Kian stood up and hurried over to his band mate.

“Nicky!” Kian began. “Are you okay?”  
By the time he reached Nicky’s side, he’d finally noticed the blonde’s tears. Kian quickly led him over to their table hidden in the corner. Shane collected another chair and pulled it over for Nicky. When the older boy sat down, Shane spotted his tears. He immediately knew the reasons for his friends’ tears but didn’t dare say anything in front of Kian.

“Nicky, what’s wrong?” Kian asked him. Nicky shook his head and started to drink his second glass more rationally than the first.  
“Mark” Nicky sobbed.  
“What’s wrong with him?” realisation dawned upon Kian’s face. “Oh, he didn’t ask you to move in with him… Did he?”  
“Move in together?” Shane gasped.  
“No” Nicky cried, shaking his head. “He cheated on me!”  
“What? No” Kian argued. “He wouldn’t”  
“He did” Nicky sobbed.  
“When?”  
“Last month… You were there, both of you were!”

“Graham’s birthday” Shane stated.  
“What?” Kian asked. “No… Not Adrian?”  
“He didn’t say any name” Nicky replied.  
“I saw them!” Kian spat. “Saw them talking and laughing together… I didn’t think anything of it”  
“And why would you?” Kian shrugged. “I trusted him!”

Kian and Shane exchanged worried looks.  
“Why did he have to tell me?”  
“Sorry?” Kian asked.  
“I was better off not knowing!”  
“But… Nicky… He obviously told you because he felt bad. He must have felt guilty and needed you to forgive him…”  
“I was happier not knowing about it…”

“The guilt was killing him, Nicky” Shane spoke up. “That’s why he told me about it”  
“He told you?” Kian asked.  
“You knew?” Nicky gasped.  
“And I encouraged him to tell you”  
“Why? Why would you do that?”  
“He felt guilty!”  
“So he should but now I have to be the one to deal with it… He’s had time to think about it and sort it out. Now he’s thrown it all on me… He has no idea how badly he screwed up”  
“I’m sure he does”

“But… You’ll forgive him, yeah?” Kian asked Nicky.  
The older boy shrugged. “I don’t know”  
“What did you say to him?”  
“Not much… Just that I couldn’t stand to look at him right now”  
“I’m really sorry, Nicky”  
”It’s not your fault”

“It’s better that you know Nicky” Shane tried to reason. “At least now you know what kind of person he is”  
“Fuck you Shane” Nicky spat.  
“Nicky”  
“No, you’re just jealous! You’ve always been jealous of me and Mark”  
“No”  
“Yes! And you wanted him to tell me so I‘d leave him”  
“Nicky, that’s not true!”  
“Piss off Shane” Nicky snapped. “I… I don’t even want to look at you right now either”

 

You should have lied  
Cause' your stupid mistake  
Made my world crash down  
Now its goodbye  
No you can't take it back  
Once the truth has come out of your mouth  
So you tried to be honest  
But honesty blew it this time  
You should have lied

 

The blonde downed the rest of his drink, stood up and marched from the bar. Kian glared at Shane before standing up and hurrying after Nicky. He caught up to the blonde in the lobby.  
“Nicky, wait” Kian reached out and grabbed Nicky’s arm.  
He stopped walking and turned to look at Kian. The younger boy slipped his key into Nicky’s hand.  
“You don’t have to go back to him right now” Kian told him. “Stay in my room for as long as you want”  
“What about you?”  
“I’ll sleep in Shane’s room”

After Kian assured Nicky it was fine for him to take his room, Nicky slowly made his way back up the stairs. His entire body felt numb as he unlocked the door and went inside. He closed the door and walked over to the bed. He removed his jacket and kicked off his shoes before lying down on the mattress.  
The blonde blinked back tears as he stared up at the ceiling. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this way.  
“I thought you loved me, Mark” Nicky sobbed. “Why did you do it?”

His head was pounding as he tried to make sense of it all. Not only had Mark cheated on him, betrayed him. But he’d also told Shane! He’d told Shane before telling him. Nicky pictured Mark’s face and the tears that had spilled from his eyes. He remembered the younger boys’ words.  
‘I need you to forgive me’ Mark had pleaded.

“I can’t” Nicky cried. “I can’t do it”

Nicky thought about Shane’s words. The brunette had stated he was better off knowing about it but Nicky disagreed. They’d been happy together.

“Mark and I were going to live together!” Nicky sobbed. “How can I trust him now?”

He retrieved his jacket and picked up his cell phone. The screen read ‘one message received’. He opened it and more tears spilled from his eyes.

“I love you” Nicky read aloud.

The blonde typed a reply. He read it a few times but wasn’t sure if he should send it. He didn’t know how to put in to words what he was feeling right now. He knew it had taken a lot of courage for Mark to own up to his mistake but Nicky didn’t care. He hated Mark for his betrayal but couldn’t help wishing he’d never found out. They could have stayed happy together.

“You did the wrong thing here” Nicky whispered. “Not me… So why am I hurting more than you?”  
He pressed send and waited for a response.  
The phone beeped again and he read the new message to himself. “I’m sorry”  
Nicky sent his reply and turned the phone off.

 

It doesn't matter  
That you had the courage to tell me

 

Mark’s heart pounded in his chest as he received a reply from his blonde lover. Tears formed in his eyes as he read Nicky’s reply aloud.  
“So am I”

**Author's Note:**

> Written as part of the 'Stephanie McIntosh' album challenge wherein I attempted to write a fic for every song on her album
> 
> Track # 4 - You Should Have Lied
> 
>  
> 
> Original publication date (on my now defunct 'All Things Shnicky' site): 1st September 2007


End file.
